Chapter 140: The Lies of the Demoness
“If you only met that lord once, it would be hard to imagine him as an influential figure who would leave his mark on the world. With a das.h.i.+ng face framed by his golden hair, which was as radiant as the sun, he always wore a tender smile. Even towards subordinates like us, there wasn’t the slightest arrogance in his tone, nor was there the regal air great aristocrats spoke of with great relish. He directly said what he wanted. Sometimes, he would lower his head shyly in contemplation, like an amateur who had just begun his job.
“However, everything changes the moment he speaks. In that negotiation which decided the fate of the three countries, the situation had been within the grasp of the ‘amateur’ from the very start. ‘Sharal Silver Fox’ Lord Gagalol and ‘G.o.d of War’ Lord Gars were, indubitably, incredible heroes. History had also proven their astonis.h.i.+ng strength and wisdom. However, in the negotiations with Prince Roland, their nervousness made them seem like newcomers to the scene. Eventually, the situation came under the complete control of His Highness. However, in a certain sense, that was also the reason why the Alliance of the Northern Lands could rise so quickly. It had the alliance between the three as the foundation, with East Mist serving as the core of the alliance
—Extracted from the diary of Sharal Lord Residence’s Secretary, Kasorla.”
“This… This is impossible!! You are lying! This… must be forged. An imitation means nothing no matter how lifelike it looks!”
The surroundings mountains were familiar, and just from the scenery itself, it was clear that it was their homeland, Sharal. However, unlike Sharal’s usual bustle, there was nothing but a barren land in the image.
There were no fools here. Gagalol already understood that if the image were true that could only mean that either there was either no civilization here from the start, or that the civilisation had disappeared along with the wind. Furthermore, such barren land would only occur a few hundred years after complete destruction.
“Hmph, think about your own ident.i.ty and his. Would he come up with such a lie to fool you all? You all are putting yourselves on too high a pedestal! Take a look at your own reflection in the mirror!”
While I was touching my nose and smiling wryly at the suspicions of the hosts, Amelia had begun to chastise them arrogantly.
“This is?”
Without a doubt, Amelia, who just leapt out of nowhere, was extremely conspicuous. According to the intelligence Sharal had gathered, she was only an accompanying Mage. She doesn’t even have a robe or insignia representing her level of strength, so they thought of her as a wild Mage without any identification. Yet, the att.i.tude she arrogantly chastised Gagalol with was absent of the humility and prudent att.i.tude a member of the entourage should have.
“Amelia Milan. Maybe none of you have ever heard of this name. However, you should know of the Truth Overseers of Arlodante. I haven’t been out for around a century, so I am not aware whether the youngsters of this generation still remember me.”
They had heard of it. No doubt, they have definitely heard of it. From how they subconsciously backed their chairs away to maintain distance from her upon hearing that name, it seemed that her vile name had left quite an impression.
“Um, Senior Amelia, may I ask you what you have done recently?”
I felt a little exasperated. No matter how ludicrous a shut-in who had confined herself to her home for a few hundred years was, it should be impossible for her to be so notorious.
“I didn’t do anything recently. I was only commissioned to do some sales.”
“Um… is that Thorned Forest of Bayer Empire your doing? As well as that famous Deep Slumber Curse?”
The secretary at the side interjected abruptly. His words caused Amelia to smile gleefully.
“Of course. Despite being relatives, they actually failed to invite me to the young princess’s birthday celebration. Thus, I took revenge on them. When the young girl turned 16, a thorned needle was placed by the spindle outside her room. Naturally, the Poison of Deep Slumber I had prepared beforehand was smeared on it.”
At this point, I vaguely realized that my perception of the world was about to be torn apart. On the other hand, Amelia was already laughing frenziedly in glee.
“Haha, as expected, her finger was p.r.i.c.ked by the needle and she fell into a deep sleep due to the poison. Initially, seeing how we were relatives, I didn’t want to go too far, so I prepared a remedy. Yet, they sent an order of knights on a crusade against me? They were suicidal! Thus, I created a Thorned Forest, trapping all of them inside, causing all of those knights to starve to death.”
“Is that the legendary true love’s kiss? How romantic! It’s like a love story out of a fairy tale!”
Sometimes, I really find myself unable to comprehend women. Even though it was clearly an act of terrorism that almost destroyed a kingdom, it became a romantic legend in their eyes. At this moment, the female secretary looked at Amelia with reverence.
However, Amelia shook her head.
“True love? Little girl, magic isn’t omnipotent, and a human’s heart cannot be fathomed. If I could tell whose love was true and whose was false, I wouldn’t have been scammed so tragically by another.”
At this point, a gleam flashed across her crimson-red pupils. It was apparent that she was on the verge of going on a rampage, and her killing intent seemed to be directed towards me. A chill ran down my spine. However, it was fortunate that she returned back to normal in the next instant.
“It was just some insignificant magic. I’ve customized the spell so that anyone who fits my requirements can unravel my magic. Back then, I had already lost all confidence in men and thought of them as beings driven by physical l.u.s.t. Thus, in order to find an honest husband for little Nana, I set it so that only people who were interested in corpses could unravel the curse. Yep, going by the words of the human society, it should be called necrophilia.”
“AHHHHH!”
That pitiable little girl dropped her pen and book in fright. How could she accept it when the truth behind that romantic and legendary love story was something that would topple her perception of the world?
“Hmph, I have already left them a note on the solution. That was just a kind joke. Did they have to launch a crusade against me? They could solve the problem just by looking for a necrophile. If not for our relations.h.i.+p as relatives, I would have long ago knocked on their doors.”
Amelia spoke so gleefully that it seemed as though the one at fault was someone else. However, I think the reason why Bayer didn’t start a war against Arlodante was on account of them being relatives.
“…I remember that Princess Fiona Milan married the prince who awakened her in the end. After which, the prince became the emperor of Bayer Empire two generations ago. That is to say…”
Gagalol quickly covered the mouth of the secretary. How could he allow her to finish her words? Bayer was a powerful empire. If news that their emperor two generations ago was a necrophile were to spread out from here, that would mean ma.s.sive problems for them.
“Actually, the Poison of Deep Slumber and the Thorned Forest weren’t my greatest masterpieces. However, the poisonous apple given to Seere Kingdom’s Snow Queen is.”
Somehow, I vaguely sensed that the information that I would hear would definitely ruin the perception I had of the world once more. However, I was too late in covering my ears.
“I had good relations with that queen, and she specially looked to me for a poisonous apple. The poison on it was similar to the poison on the needle as well; the cure was the kiss of a necrophile. However, it is really unfathomable why all pa.s.sing princes are necrophiles.”
“Snow White and the Seven Gold-Armored Dwarves!? That is my favorite fairy tale. I beg you! Do not go on! You will ruin my childhood!”
Alright, where should I start retorting from? Should I start from the pa.s.sing necrophile princes or the Golden Dwarf warriors? d.a.m.n it, Amelia. Can you do something normal instead? Why did you have to choose to create parodies of the fairy tales, taking the role of the villains, to ruin the childhood of others?
“What about that ‘Little-footed Cinderella and the Crystal Slippers Only She Could Wear’? It can’t be that you…”
“Oh, that. This time, I am on the side of the protagonist. Do you know the pumpkin carriage in the story? I am the witch who created that carriage. Right, this time, the prince isn’t a necrophile but a podophile. Because of this, he couldn’t remember Cinderella’s face, insisting on using the gla.s.s slippers instead. I had to intentionally get her to leave the slippers behind. As expected, princes are a bunch of perverts.”
“Do you have such a large grudge against princes? Marrying a prince riding a white horse should be the dream of every little girl!”
“Hmph, that was what I thought back then as well. Truth has told us women that princes are a bunch of b.a.s.t.a.r.ds and perverts! However, it is a pity that not a single printing press was willing to publish my book that is filled with numerical data and case studies named The Truth Behind Princes. Those cowardly b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! Those were actual events that I went through personally, yet they refused to print them even though I was willing to pay them to do so!”
Alright, this childhood destroyer wants to publish a book to ruin the image of princes in the minds of everyone else! What deep-seated grudge was this!
Thus, after realizing why Amelia’s reputation was so horrid and why Gagalol retreated far away upon hearing her report her name, as the only human prince in the room, as the one responsible for her resentment towards princes, I backed my seat far away without any hesitation.
“Hmph, I will tell you all directly now. In the circles of SemiG.o.ds and true G.o.ds, the Indestructible Roland is much more famous than me. You doubt that he would lie to you? You should first consider whether you are worthy of him going through the effort to.”
“Indestructible Roland?”
This was the first time I was hearing this nickname. Hadn’t I been killed many times before already?
“Yeah, it is saying that you are similar to that certain black creature, unable to be completely killed no matter what happens. Even after getting destroyed, you were able to pop out dozens of years later and cause a huge uproar. Even though being difficult to kill was a common trait among top-tier experts, you are the only one who managed to revive time and time again despite the complete destruction of your physical body and soul. Most importantly of all, you are a vindictive, shameless jerk who uses all means to accomplish your goals. When failing to get rid of you, one has to be careful of your vengeance and thus, no one was willing to provoke you.”
Alright, upon hearing this, I paused for two seconds. Indeed, not disappointing my expectations, the System leapt out.
【Ding! SemiG.o.d-tier honorary t.i.tle ‘Indestructible Roland’. After equipping this t.i.tle… There is no effects. This time, it is really just a t.i.tle. At most, you can use it to scare others. It isn’t a product of the System, so there isn’t any special effects to it. However, I can help you create an illusionary outer appearance of a c.o.c.kroach, so that you can become a standing Martian c.o.c.kroach in the eyes of others. Do you want to give it a try?】
Are there c.o.c.kroaches in Mars? Continue spouting bulls.h.i.+t then, System! Did you think that I didn’t study before transcending over? It was obviously octopus aliens, alright!
OK, back to the topic at hand. No matter what Gagalol and Gars had prepared beforehand, no matter how they had agreed to advance and retreat as one, their alliance wavered due to such unforeseen circ.u.mstances.
In a certain sense, it was a wise move to bring Amelia to the negotiations. Even though we had yet to start negotiations, it was clear just by looking at the two of them that they were cooperating with one another. One of them was playing the carrot while the other was playing the stick. By throwing consecutive information bombs at the other party to tear apart the primary arrangements of the other party, I had managed to gain the initiative in the negotiations.
When the information that both parties possessed weren’t symmetrical, it caused the positions of the two sides negotiating with each other to be asymmetrical as well. It created a false image that it mattered not to us whether we negotiated the deal or not (when in truth, it mattered a lot), while the other party required more information about the prophecy of destruction. As such, the other party would be forced to take the initiative to plead with us.
We managed to play out this show just by exchanging a glance right after walking into the room. At this moment, we exchanged looks once more and smiled. At this point, we had already won.
“Excluding the other traits of her that are difficult to deal with, Amelia’s strength and cunningness make her an ideal partner, especially when I need to protect my image as the heroic Holy Knight prince. She, who dared to do anything and say anything, is my best avatar.”
Right after these thoughts appeared in my mind, they were buried securely in the depths of my mind. “Perverted serial killer; frenzied professor without the slightest bit of decency,” just these two difficult aspects made her a ticking time bomb.
However, this wasn’t the time to be preoccupied with such thoughts. It was imperative to continue pus.h.i.+ng the stakes while the negotiators of the other side were still unsettled.
“Esteemed lords, I have a small proposal. Perhaps, to deal with the future threats we face before us, we should solidify our channels of communication. Or perhaps, an alliance where we huddle together for survival might be a good idea. After all, you all don’t have to give in much, but in return, you will earn everything!”
—————
After an arduous negotiation, when I stepped out of the Lord Residence, I was so happy that I felt like singing.
However, when I recalled my musical talent that was comparable to Gria’s Throat of Death, I dispelled that thought. Even so, my footsteps became lighter.
Since the alliance had been settled, all that was left was for the negotiators of both sides to slowly tug and pull on the contract. This alliance would become the foundation for the rise of East Mist.
“Provisions and manpower from the Sharal Autonomous Region will just be additional gains. Rather, the rights to mine from the mountains of the barbarians will become the new core to this alliance!”
Indeed, even if Prince Gars didn’t come, I would still pay a visit to them. I had already long since set my eyes on their lands.
The Northern Lands were publicly acknowledged by the continent to be the richest in mines. However, the shallow mines of the various kingdoms had already been dug out and thus, they weren’t the main targets of contention. East Mist had lost its final mine twenty years ago, and as a result, it had lost its very foothold in the Northern Lands. That was the main reason behind its downfall.
To reverse all this, just cutting down on expenses wasn’t enough. East Mist had to find a new source of income, and after it had established the Church of Law as its national religion, it was no longer an option to use war to vie for mines. If so, there was only a possible course of action—seeking new mines.
In truth, that was a nearly impossible task. After all, every single plot of land in East Mist had been repet.i.tively probed for potential mines. Even if there were still hidden mines within its territory, it was clear that they were beyond the probing and mining technique of East Mist, so it wouldn’t make a difference to East Mist’s plight either way.
However, in truth, there was still another mountain rich in minerals that hadn’t been mined yet. Furthermore, many people knew of it, but none went ahead and excavated it. The technology required to develop the mine was too advanced, making the cost exceed the potential revenue.
“For outsiders, gaining the trust of the barbarians was something inconceivable. However, for the Mist royalty and its thousand years of history, given the brotherhood they had with them amidst innumerable years of war and mutual a.s.sistance, gaining their trust wasn’t too difficult a task.”
“However, that isn’t the greatest problem. Even if you could mine the minerals within, how do you intend to transport them down the mountain? Those mountainous paths aren’t something ordinary humans can tread on. Conventional methods of s.h.i.+pping are absolutely impossible. That is the main reason why no one had tried to develop the mines in the mountains.”
“Hehe, perhaps I should introduce to you my prided creation—Envy, Borealis!”
—–
When we left, the anxiety Gagalol and Gars had expressed a moment ago disappeared without a trace and they instead started to calmly discuss the results of the meeting.
“Brother Gars, do you think what Roland said was true?”
The word “brother” means a lot to the barbarians. If one were to casually try to establish intimacy with them, losing all of one’s teeth from a single punch was considered minor. However, judging from how Gars accepted the phrase so readily, the relations.h.i.+p between the two didn’t seem as distant as they had previously displayed.
“Brother Gagalol, being careful and meticulous may be your strengths, but you are truly overthinking it this time. I can feel the kind intent behind the other party’s words. Furthermore, I am willing to bet my life that what he said is true.”
The truth was that these two were sworn brothers, and there were many interactions going on between the territories of the two. Simply put, though, few knew about this secret.
“Hm?”
“I don’t know about that image of yours, but the prophetic image of our sacred land being wrecked is definitely true. Look at those giant statues. They have been shattered into rock pieces. However, only a few people of our tribe know that these rock statues are defensive mechanisms for our sacred mountain. Ordinary tribesman don’t even know that these rock statues were the doings of our ancestors. Their destruction can only mean that they were forcefully destroyed by a powerful enemy, which means that the tribe had fallen into danger.”
“That isn’t enough. It is possible that he might have received news of it from some other chieftain within the tribe.”
“You are overthinking things. Look at that giant.”
It was a ma.s.sive, golden giant. At this moment, its chest had been impaled with a gigantic spear and it was on the verge of death. However, the engravings on its chest were still gleaming.
“This is definitely a secret which no one knows about. That giant is almost certainly me. My ultimate talent, War G.o.d Avatar, allows me to sacrifice my life to turn into an invincible War Giant before I return to the embrace of the G.o.d of War. This is a legendary talent of the Ancient Barbarians. Not even my father knew of it, so it is impossible for him to have heard of it from any other source.”
This meant that not only was Doomsday going to befall them, it was approaching quickly.
“You appeared in the prophecy as well? Looks like Doomsday is coming much earlier than we expected. I think we should talk with that Lord Roland.”
“Yeah? You no longer doubt the words of the other party?”
Hearing those words, the one who would become known as Silver Fox in tribute to his wisdom smiled bitterly.
“Just as the insane demoness had said, think about our own ident.i.ty and his. Are we worthy of the lord personally visiting us just to deceive us? I have overthought it. What we have to do now is quickly mend our relations.h.i.+p with him. I can sense that he is slightly dissatisfied with us.”
“Yeah, get your man to prepare some extravagant gifts. Tomorrow, we will personally pay him a visit.”